Films set in the wilderness
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None — 6 years ago(September 29, 2019 05:00 PM)
When I was a lad and started going to the cinema by myself one of my favourites was Man in the Wilderness (1971) starring Richard Harris. The story was recently told again with Leonardo DiCaprio in the starring role.
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spiderwort — 6 years ago(October 01, 2019 12:31 PM)
I don't remember seeing this one, but the cast is hard to resist. I'll keep an eye out for it. And what is the title of the remake (or re-do)? I'm sure I didn't see that one either, though I probably should have.
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ZolotoyRetriever — 6 years ago(September 29, 2019 10:04 PM)
Apparently it did have a VHS release, because I rented a tape of it some years back. I never saw it when it aired on TV originally, so I was lucky enough to find a rental of it. Great film, and an incredible, mind-boggling story.
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spiderwort — 6 years ago(October 01, 2019 12:34 PM)
Wow, so many titles that I haven't seen! Unbelievable. I only saw McCabe and Mrs. Miller, which is a favorite Altman film. I'm familiar with White Fang, of course, but I missed that one, too. The others I don't even know by title. Thanks for the suggestions. It gives me a lot to explore.
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NZer — 6 years ago(September 29, 2019 10:06 PM)
This is the greatest wilderness movie ever made.
"Atanarjuat, The Fast Runner" is an epic film made by and about the Inuit peoples of the Canadian arctic, telling a story of a crime that ruptures the trust within a closely knit group, and how justice is achieved and healing begins. Director Zacharias Kunuk -
spiderwort — 6 years ago(October 01, 2019 12:48 PM)
Oh, this looks amazing! I love films about indigenous peoples, and this looks to be superb, haunting even in the trailer. Can't thank you enough for suggesting it. I must find it and watch it. These subjects are very close to my heart. Thanks again!
One of my all time favorite films set in that particular wilderness is Robert Flaherty's,
Nanook of the North
(1922), considered to be the first documentary (though many consider it to be what we would today call a docudrama, given that some things were staged). Don't know if you've seen it, but I strongly recommend it - the story of the lives of Nanook and his family, Inuits living in the Arctic Circle. Flaherty spent a year living with and filming them. -
spiderwort — 2 years ago(April 22, 2023 12:56 AM)
It's pretty well documented that it was in many ways what we would these days call a docudrama. But I don't think it's fair to call the film a lie because of that. It does document so much of Inuit life at that time, filmed over a year of Flaherty's residence with the people he was shooting. And I know there's a longstanding controversy about the film as a straight documentary, but many later "documentaries" were done much in the same manner. So back to the notion of it being a docudrama, instead of a straight documentary. For me, that does not invalidate the film at all. And I don't know what "iirc" means, so I can't comment on that, sorry.
EDIT: I'm going to adjust my OP to clarify this. -
spiderwort — 6 years ago(October 01, 2019 01:13 PM)
Great list, muttley. Regrettably, I haven't seen
Aguirre: Wrath of God
yet; keep meaning to, but it has always eluded me.
But I very much appreciate the others.
Lifeboat
is an excellent examination of people under duress, who are trapped together on the open sea. And
Walkabout
's story and Australian outback locations are simply wonderful. It's one of my favorites. And I would have to say, now that you mention it, that
Woman in the Dunes
is, too. I haven't seen that one in decades, but I still remember how beautiful and haunting it was in its unique landscape, with its unique story. Now you've got me wanting to see it again!
EDIT: I've dug up the trailer, and it's so much the way I remember it after all these many years. What a brilliant and haunting film. I really have to watch it again. -
spiderwort — 6 years ago(October 01, 2019 01:16 PM)
Probably the definitive desert film of all time. I think David Lean was second only to John Ford in knowing how to use a landscape to tell a story (and there were times when I even think he did it better).
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spiderwort — 6 years ago(October 01, 2019 02:02 PM)
Yes, what an interesting film and story this one was. Kudos to Witherspoon for producing it. She didn't want to star in it, but had to in order to get it done. But I doubt she regretted that choice.
EDIT:
@glynnpadraic
And for the record for those who don't know, if you look at the credits for this film, it identifies her as a producer beneath Executive producers. Don't let that confuse you. In film, a
producer
is the person who really produces the film hands on and owns it, so to speak;
executive producers
generally raise the money.
In television, however, executive producers are the real producers, the ones who put the whole show together and maintain creative control, while producers are what are known as show runners, handling the day-to-day needs of production,